Aerial vessel



UNITED STATES PATENT FFICE.

SIGMUND SPAETH, OF FALLS oi'rY, NEBRASKA.

AERIAL VESSEL.

SPECIFICATION forming'part of Letters Patent No. 514,287, dated February 6, 1894.

Serial No. 481,846. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, SIGMUND SPAETH, of Falls City, in the county of Richardson and State of Nebraska, have invented a new and Improved Aerial Vessel, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The invention relates to an aerial vessel provided with oscillating wings for aiding in sustaining the vessel in the air, the wings being constructed in such a manner that their upward and downward movement will also propel the vessel.

The invention consists in the special construction of the oscillating wings, the means for imparting motion .thereto by utilizing the muscular power of the occupants of the vessel, and other features of construction, that will. be fully described hereinafter.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar figures of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional elevation of the basket and its connections with the lower end of the balloon. Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the balloon and basket, the latter being shown in section. Fig. 3 is a plan view of one of the wings; and Figxlis a longitudinal section of the same on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3. I v

The balloon 1, is of any suitable or approved shape, and is provided with the usual ropes 2 for suspending the basket frame 3. The basket propeip l is preferably formed as a truck supported on wheels 5 and a series of seats 6 are located in the basket, said seats being preferably arranged in parallel rows. In front of each seat 6 is located a pedal or a pair of pedals 7, which are secured to hell crank lovers 8, pivoted at 9 to suitable brackets extending from the bottom of the basket. Rocking handle levers 11 are likewise located in front of the seats 6, and-rods 1O connect the said handle levers with the bell crank levers 8. The handle levers 11 are pivoted at 12 and are provided with extensions 13, from which connecting rods 14 are projected upwardly, said rods being pivotally-connected with rocking levers 15 fulcrumed on the frame 3 at 16. Links 17 are pivotally-connected at one end with the outer extremities of the rocking levers 15, and at the other end with the wings 18 pivoted longitudinally 'of the basketframe 3, as shown at 19. The number of the wings 18 is immaterial; in the drawings 6 such wings are shown, though, as a rule, I-prefer to employ but one wing on each side of the vessel.

The construction of the wings will be seen best in Figs. 3 and 4. Each of the wings is provided with a frame 20, which may be reinforced by means of cross bars 21. A network 22 is preferably secured to the said frame, though this is not essential, and the said net-work is covered bya fabric of asuitable air-tight material 23. The said fabric is provided with spaced openings and with valves 24 adapted to close the said openings when the wing is moveddownward. Guards, 30, are provided on the underside of each wing and limit the movement of the valves 24.. To the rear end of each wing an auxiliary wing 25 is pivoted, as shown at 26, the pivotal connectionbein g efiected through the medium of a suitable elastic material, such as a strip or band of' steel, so that the said auxiliary wing will have a tendency to return into alignment with the main wing 18.

At the front and rear ends of the basket, steering ruddersare located, said rudders consisting of two blades 27 and 28, intersecting each other preferably at right angles and any suitable means are provided for inclining and turning the said rudders, but I have only shown the shaft 29 of one, of the same, as mechanisms for operating rudders are wellknown.

The balloon 1 is employed only as an accessory means for sustaining part of the weight of the vessel, and its occupants, while the rest of the weight is kept sustained and raised by the operation of the wings 18; the occupants of the vessel being seated on the seats 6 impart a rocking movement to the pedals 7, bell crank levers 8 and also to the handle levers 11.

It will be observed by reference to Fig. 1,

that while the occupants of one row of seats push the pedals downward and pull the handle levers inward, the operators seated on the next row ofv seats behind, perform just the opposite function. The purpose of this arrangement is to obtain as uniform a motion as possible, since a greater power is exerted when the pedals are pressed downward. An oscillating movement will be imparted to the wings 18 by the rocking movement of the said pedals and handle levers, and it will be obvious that the valves 24 will open during the upward movement of the wings and allow a portion of the air above the wings to pass through the same. During the downward movement of the wings, the valves will close automatically, so that the entire surface of the wings will act upon the air to assist in sustaining and lifting the vessel. The guards 30 will prevent the valves from opening too much and will hold them at an acute angle to the plane of the wing (see Fig. 4),so that the valves will readily close when the wing begins to move downward. It will also be observed that the auxiliary wings 25 will automatically assume an inclined position in relation to the main wings 18, during the movement of the latter, so that the pressure exerted obliquely on the air by the said auxiliary wings will propel the vessel forward.

The operation of the steering rudder will be obvious and it will be understood that these rudders are not onlyemployed to steer the vessellaterally, but also to give the vessel an upward or downward course.

I have preferred to mount the basket 4 upon wheels in order that the vessel may be propelled on the ground for some distance before rising in the air, and this arrangement will be especially advantageous for operators who are not yet skilled in the operation of the vessel.

It will be obvious that some practice will be required to effectively operate the mechism for imparting motion to the wings, and in order to facilitate thetask for beginners, a large sized balloon may be employed at first, and the capacity of the balloon gradually decreased as the skill of the operators increases.

It will be seen that there is almost no danger when practicing with the apparatus. If the basket 4 is constructed so as to be capable of floating upon water, the vessel may also be employed for making an ascent from the water. Suppose, for example, that the basket is adapted to carry six persons and that each person is capable of exerting power of one hundred pounds; suppose further, that the weight of the six persons, be nine hundred and sixty pounds and that of the machine five hundred pounds, then the weight to be raised is equal to fourteen hundred and sixty pounds. The pressure exerted by means of the wings 18 and the raising power of the same will amount to six hundred pounds so that there remains a balance of eight hundred and sixty pounds to be carried by the balloon.

Having thus fully described my invention, Iclaim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. An aerial vessel provided with a hasket, seats located in the basket in longitudinal alignment with one another, rocking pedals and hand levers located in front of the seats and fulcrumed on the basket, each pedal having a pivotal movement independent of the hand lever of the same seat, a rod connecting the pedal belonging to one seat with the hand lever belonging to one of the adjacent seats which are in longitudinal alignment with the first named seat, wings held on the vessel, and a driving connection between the said rocking pedals and hand levers and the wings, substantially as described.

2. In an aerial vessel, the combination with the frame, the wings pivoted thereto, levers arranged crosswise of each other and likewise pivoted to the frame, and links connecting the wings with the levers, of pedals and hand levers having a pivotal connection with the frame and an operative connection with the levers to impart a rocking motion to the latter and to the wings, substantially as de scribed.

3. In an aerial vessel, a wing adapted for an oscillating movement, in combination with an auxiliary wing hinged to one end of the main wing and adapted to extend in longitudinal alignment therewith, an elastic material being provided at the hinges for causing the auxiliary wing to return into alignment with the main wing, substantially as described.

4. In an aerial vessel, a wing adapted for an oscillating vertical movement, in combination with an auxiliary wing secured to the main wing in longitudinal alignment there with and hinged to one end thereof, the connection between the main wing and the auxiliary wing being effected through the medium of an elastic material, substantially as described.

5. In an aerial vessel, a wing adapted for an oscillating vertical movement, said wing being provided with spaced openings and automatic valves hinged to the under side of the wing and adapted to open downwardly during the upward movement of the-wing and to close the said openings during the downward movement of the wing, the valves being of such length as to not overlap one another in the closed position, whe' by each of the valves will have its path 8% travel entirely separate from that of the adjacent valves and will be perfectly independent of the other valves, substantially as described.

6. In an aerial vessel, a wing adapted for an oscillating vertical movement, said wing being provided with openings, automatic valves adapted to open downwardly during the upward movement of the wing and to close the openings during the downward movement of the wing, and rigid guards se cured to the under side of the wing to limit the downward movement of the valves, substantially as described.

SIGMUN D SPAETH.

Witnesses:

Roar. F. T. PREUssE, ULRICH HUBER. 

